Ultrasonography as a diagnostic aid in horses with anaerobic bacterial pleuropneumonia and/or pulmonary abscessation: 27 cases (1984-1986).

This study illustrates the correlation between ultrasound-detected gas echoes in horses’ lungs, indicative of anaerobic infections, and the horses’ overall survival rates, suggesting the procedure’s effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for equine pleuropneumonia and pulmonary abscessation.

Objective

• The objective of this study was to review medical records of horses diagnosed with pleuropneumonia and/or pulmonary abscessation using thoracic ultrasonography. The researchers wanted to determine whether gas echoes observed through sonograms could accurately predict anaerobic infection in these horses.

Methodology

• Records of 83 horses with either pleuropneumonia, pulmonary abscessation, or both were reviewed retrospectively.
• A focus was made on the sonograms of these horses, particularly on searching for free gas echoes within the pleural or abscess fluid.
• The presence of gas echoes and any foul odor from breath or pleural fluid were used as the key indicators for anaerobic infection.

Findings

• The researchers identified anaerobic infections in 27 out of the 83 horses. 21 of these horses had identified gas echoes on the sonograms.
• There was a significant correlation (P<0.001) between observing gas echoes and the existence of anaerobic infection in these instances.
• The presence of unrestricted gas bubbles, or a foul smell from either the breath or pleural fluid, were both significantly associated with the presence of an anaerobic infection.
• There was also a negative correlation between the survival rate of the horses with the presence of gas echoes or unpleasant odors, both of which indicate anaerobic infection.
• It was concluded that gas echoes within pleural or abscess fluid serve as a sensitive and specific predictor of these infections, as was the detection of a putrid odor in the breath or pleural fluid.
• The researchers found that assessing both gas echoes and the odor provided a more accurate prediction of anaerobic infections compared to evaluating either criterion in isolation.

Conclusion

• This study found a strong connection between the presence of gas echoes in an ultrasonogram and an anaerobic infection in horses exhibiting pleuropneumonia or pulmonary abscessation.
• Repeated ultrasonography is recommended for horses with pleuropneumonia to monitor the progression or recovery from the illness. Subsequent detection of gas echoes may indicate the development of anaerobic infection.